India’s festive season brought a significant boost to the sweets and confectionery market in 2026, with traditional mithai, premium chocolate hampers and healthier alternatives attracting consumers. Companies across the food and confectionery industry reported higher festive sales, reflecting continued demand for celebratory purchases and gifting during Diwali.
Haldiram’s reported a 49% year-on-year increase in festive sweet sales, while craft chocolate brand Manam Chocolate recorded 75% growth. Online platforms also saw increased food orders during the celebrations. The trend suggests that consumers are continuing to spend on festive treats while experimenting with premium products, curated gift boxes and alternatives made with ingredients such as jaggery and dates.
Haldiram’s Festive Sweet Sales Increase 49%
Haldiram’s recorded a 49% year-on-year increase in festive sweet sales during the 2026 Diwali season. The company attributed the growth to demand for traditional Indian sweets, including kaju katli, motichoor laddoo and barfi, along with festive gift hampers.
The performance highlights the continued importance of traditional mithai in India’s festive consumption market. Despite the growing availability of chocolates, packaged desserts and premium confectionery, familiar Indian sweets remain central to celebrations and gifting.
According to Tushar Mehta, vice-president of growth and marketing at Haldiram’s, consumers continued to prefer traditional Indian sweets because of their cultural and emotional significance during the festive period.
The growth also reflects the strength of organised packaged sweet brands, which are expanding their presence through retail stores, online marketplaces and gift-oriented product collections.
Swiggy Records 10.7% Growth in Diwali Food Orders
Online food delivery platforms also benefited from the increase in festive consumption.
Swiggy reported a 10.7% year-on-year rise in food delivery orders during the Diwali festivities between November 6 and November 8, 2026. The comparison was against the corresponding Diwali period from October 18 to October 20 last year.
Kaju katli emerged as the most popular sweet ordered through the platform, followed by motichoor laddoo, rasgulla and gulab jamun.
Demand was particularly strong in Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi, Jaipur and Hyderabad.
Some individual orders illustrated the scale of festive gifting through food delivery applications. One of the largest orders in Hyderabad on November 6 included 57 packets of assorted sweets worth ₹41,895. In Mumbai, a customer placed an order worth ₹41,772 for seven curated hampers of assorted sweets on Diwali.
These transactions demonstrate how food delivery platforms are increasingly being used for planned festive purchases and gifting, rather than only everyday meals and last-minute food orders.
Premium Chocolate Gifting Gains Momentum
Another important trend during the 2026 festive season was the growing demand for premium chocolate products and curated gift hampers.
Manam Chocolate, an Indian craft chocolate company, reported a 75% increase in festive sales compared with the same period last year.
The company also observed a rise in the average spending on individual gifting purchases. According to founder Chaitanya Muppala, the average price point that saw significant demand last year was approximately ₹2,000. This year, consumers showed stronger interest in products priced between ₹3,000 and ₹3,500.
Curated celebration hampers recorded the strongest demand, with larger and more premium offerings performing better than in the previous festive season.
The trend indicates that chocolate is increasingly being considered a standalone festive gift rather than simply an additional item included in a larger hamper.
For premium food brands, this creates opportunities to increase average transaction values through limited-edition collections, specialised packaging and products designed specifically for celebrations.
Healthier Mithai and Sugar-Free Snacks Find Buyers
Consumer interest in healthier alternatives also emerged as a notable feature of this year’s festive food market.
Amazon India reported that jaggery-based and date-based mithai accounted for close to half of its festive mithai sales.
The platform also recorded approximately 1.5 times year-on-year growth in products such as snacks made with natural sugar substitutes, including stevia and monk fruit. Gluten-free and no-maida snack options also recorded growth.
Amazon India said customers were purchasing a wider range of healthier snacking products alongside traditional festive favourites.
Demand was also visible on Amazon Now, its quick-commerce service, where customers increasingly purchased products such as date bites, high-protein snacks and sugar-free dark chocolate.
The trend reflects an expanding consumer preference for products that offer alternatives to conventional sweets without completely abandoning festive indulgence.
However, this does not necessarily mean traditional mithai is losing popularity. Haldiram’s strong sales growth suggests that conventional sweets and healthier alternatives are attracting demand simultaneously.
Chocolate Brands Combine Indian Flavours With Modern Products
Mainstream confectionery companies are also adapting their products to India’s festive preferences by combining familiar Indian flavours with contemporary formats.
Mondelez India, the company behind Cadbury products, promoted its Milky Mithai offering, which combines chocolate with flavours inspired by traditional Indian sweets.
The strategy allows confectionery brands to participate in the country’s festive gifting market while appealing to consumers familiar with both traditional mithai and packaged chocolate.
Mondelez International’s India business recorded revenue growth of more than 20% year-on-year in the third quarter of 2026. Its chocolate business registered a 2.8% increase in volume and mix.
The company’s performance highlights the continued commercial importance of India for international confectionery businesses.
By introducing products connected to local tastes and celebrations, brands can expand their relevance during important seasonal consumption periods.
What the Festive Sales Trends Mean for India’s Food Industry
The latest sales figures point towards a market where traditional sweets, premium confectionery and healthier snacks are expanding alongside one another.
| Company or platform | Reported festive performance |
|---|---|
| Haldiram’s | Sweet sales increased 49% |
| Swiggy | Food delivery orders increased 10.7% |
| Manam Chocolate | Festive sales increased 75% |
| Amazon India | Jaggery and date-based mithai accounted for close to half of festive mithai sales |
| Amazon India | Natural sugar substitute and selected healthier snack categories grew around 1.5 times |
For traditional sweet manufacturers, the opportunity lies in maintaining the popularity of established products while improving packaging, distribution and gifting options.
Premium chocolate companies are benefiting from consumers willing to spend more on distinctive products and curated hampers. Meanwhile, online delivery and quick-commerce platforms are making it easier to purchase sweets and snacks closer to the occasion.
The figures also show why food brands are increasingly developing products around specific festivals, regional tastes and changing dietary preferences.
The Bigger Picture
India’s festive sweets market is evolving beyond the traditional distinction between local mithai shops and packaged confectionery brands. Organised players such as Haldiram’s are benefiting from the enduring popularity of Indian sweets, while premium brands such as Manam Chocolate are finding customers willing to spend more on specialised gifting products. Digital platforms are adding another distribution channel by making festive treats accessible through online ordering and rapid delivery.
At the same time, the growth of jaggery-based mithai, date-based products and sugar-free snacks suggests that consumers are exploring alternatives without abandoning festive food traditions. For manufacturers, this creates opportunities across multiple price points, from affordable traditional sweets to premium chocolate hampers and health-oriented snacks.
Looking Ahead
The next phase of growth for India’s festive sweets and confectionery market will depend on how effectively brands balance traditional preferences with changing consumer expectations. Product innovation, premium packaging, regional flavours and online distribution are likely to remain important areas of competition. Companies that can offer both familiar festive favourites and differentiated gifting products may be better positioned to capture consumer spending during major celebrations.
The 2026 festive season has provided encouraging signals for the industry, although individual company sales figures should not be interpreted as the growth rate of the entire Indian sweets market. The broader opportunity lies in serving consumers who increasingly expect variety, convenience and more personalised gifting choices while continuing to value the cultural role of mithai in Indian celebrations.
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